Jonathan Under Pressure To Dump Bankole, Deputy

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Jonathan Under Pressure To Dump Bankole, Deputy

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Written by Lanre Adewole, Abuja Saturday, 26 June 2010

President Goodluck Jonathan is reportedly under pressure to withdraw his perceived support for the embattled Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole and his deputy, Bayero Nafada, by allowing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to prosecute them over their reported indictment in the alleged N2.3 billion car scam rocking the lower chamber for almost one and a half years.

Chairman of the anti-corruption commission, Mrs. Farida Waziri, had disclosed that the final investigative report on the alleged scam had been sent to the presidency when late President Umaru Yar’Adua was still in the saddle for further directive, since the order to investigate the alleged scam came from the presidency through the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).

Our sister publication, the Nigerian Tribune had reported that a fresh copy of the report was made available to Jonathan by the commission upon request, on assumption of office as the acting president.

Bankole, Nafada and a deputy chairman of a committee of the House of Representatives were said to have been indicted by the report, with the alleged loot reportedly traced to the personal bank account of one of them.

About three weeks ago, Farida, while fielding questions from reporters, confirmed the pendency of the report with the presidency, adding that the legal unit of the commission was already working on the report to know who would be charged and freed.

Saturday Tribune, however, gathered that the delay on further action on the report was not from the legal unit of the commission which was said to have been in possession of the report for months, but the presidency that had refused to give the commission the nod to commence prosecution of those indicted in the report.

It was gathered that late President Umaru Yar’Adua sat on the report to protect the embattled Speaker who was seen as one of his strongest supporters, with Bankole reportedly paying back by overtly and stoutly resisting moves to enthrone Jonathan as acting president when Yar’Adua became incapacitated before his death.

Jonathan, who reportedly demanded for the report almost immediately he became acting president, was said to have used the report in whipping Bankole into line, with sources close to the saga disclosing that the president would have had no problem dumping Bankole on the EFCC report even now, but for the reported involvement of Nafada who is credited with making a strong case for a Jonathan-acting presidency.

Members of the House of Representatives, who worked for the enthronement of Jonathan as acting president, were said to have been impressing it on him that it would be unfair to now dump Nafada who worked for him when the House leadership was against his upward movement from vice presidency.

However, many of the senators who worked for his elevation as president in acting capacity were said to be disposed to the probe report being used against the lower chamber leadership without exclusion in order to justify the confidence they repose in Nigerians and their colleagues about his ability to provide accounting leadership.

Apart from the senators, some governors were also said to have joined in putting pressure on the president on the need to make the report public, in order to restore Nigerians confidence in the anti-corruption crusade of the Jonathan’s presidency and not send a message of double standard in the crusade.

Saturday Tribune, however, gathered that the push of the governors may not be completely altruistic, due to the reported political wedge between them and the affected principal officers of the House of Representatives.

Succession battle is said to be the main issue, with the governors said to be banking on the scam to get some of the lawmakers off their backs and have the luxury of enthroning their anointed candidates.

The battle, according to sources, became more intense when the lawmakers beat the governors to some federal appointments recently, with Jonathan said to have discountenanced a three-man list submitted for ministerial appointment by a particular governor in preference for a one-man nomination by a certain lawmaker believed to be neck-deep in the alleged scam.

The covert entry of the said lawmaker into the governorship contest in the state is also said to have upturned the apple-cart of the out-going governor who was said to have anointed his son-in-law, who is currently a local government chairman in the state as his successor.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the president not to allow the matter to be swept under the carpet, while berating the lawmakers for leaving the substance, which is the corruption issue, and chasing the shadow by suspending the whistle-blowers.

The civil societies have also joined in the call for the prosecution of those indicted over the scam.

Speaking on the matter,  Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo, in a telephone interview with Saturday Tribune, said: “I don’t know why the question on the car scam is being directed to us who had done our duty as patriotic Nigerians. The question should be directed to Ima Niboro, the president’s spokesperson. He should issue a statement to tell Nigerians why the report has not been made public. The chairman of EFCC, about three weeks ago, said the report is with the presidency. Let us ask Niboro why the reporty has not been made public. Jonathan is not showing enough seriousness about fighting corruption.”